Sorted by date Results 626 - 650 of 6858
An investigation by the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs task force (SEACAD) led to the indictment and arrest of six Petersburg residents last week. A press release from the Juneau Police Department reported that a Juneau Grand Jury indicted Petersburg residents Palmer Thomassen Jr., Gabriel Volk, Dazzlin Frentz, Edward Rayborn, Amanda Loucks, and Austin Strickland on Oct. 26, 2023 for various counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the Second and in the Third Degree....
During a regular meeting on Nov. 6, the Petersburg Borough Assembly passed a resolution in its first reading to approve an application for Skylark Park LLC to purchase borough land. The purchase includes five lots on Odin Street, of Skylark II Subdivision, and one parcel, Government Lot 21, near Skylark Way. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the assembly approve the application during the commission's most recent meeting on Oct. 10. Skylark LLC requests to purchase the six...
From atop the helicopter pad at Five Finger Lighthouse station, visitors experience a nearly unobstructed 360-degree vista of Alaska's Inside Passage. The air is rich with the scent of saltwater, the calls of the island's abundant birdlife, and echoes of humpback whales breathing and breaching in Stephens Passage throughout the summer feeding season. A narrow path leads between the station's 120-year-old boat house and carpenter shop and gently traverses the less-than-three-acre island's green... Full story
After a yearlong public process, the U.S. Forest Service has announced eight potential sites for new recreational cabins in the Petersburg and Wrangell Ranger Districts. After considering the environmental impacts and accessibility of hundreds of sites suggested by members of the public or identified by staff, the district picked the ones that are most likely to see substantial traffic and compete for federal funding, and announced them in a draft decision published Thursday, Oct. 19. There are...
The final report of the Petersburg Borough Housing Needs Assessment was completed on Sept. 30. In January of this year, the Borough Assembly contracted consulting firm Agnew::Beck to conduct this assessment and determine the housing needs in Petersburg, at an estimated cost of about $55,000 with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The assessment took place from February through September. Information was gathered from 366 community survey responses —about 10 percent of the population, which the project team considered a good response r...
Staff for Gov. Mike Dunleavy quashed the publication of a new Department of Labor and Workforce Development report examining the competitiveness of teacher pay in Alaska, an act that current and former staff say could damage the apolitical reputation of the division that publishes state economic data. “This is data that typically is available to the public, and it’s never good to suppress good, objective data,” said Neal Fried, who retired in July after almost 45 years as an economist with the department. The report, which had been the cover... Full story
The first thing to know about the mariculture industry in Alaska is how much money and effort are going into making it a major economic driver for years to come. The second thing is that, aside from oysters, it isn’t profitable — yet. That’s kind of the point. A collective $110 million in public investment for mariculture in Alaska is flowing into the state, a federal Build Back Better wager based on the core assets of the region, predictions about future demand — particularly for kelp — and the general need for more sustainable food sources....
It took a village to save a juvenile whale earlier this month, one that involved collaboration between people and agencies, and extended as far as a NOAA expert in Maui. That's the story of "SEAK-5490," a juvenile humpback whale who was successfully freed from crab fishing lines near Gustavus earlier this month. The effort included local residents who saw the humpback in distress and reported it, the owner of the fishing gear who provided information needed for the rescue, people on the Glacier...
During a virtual public open house last Tuesday evening, Alaska Marine Highway System Marine Director Craig Tornga gave a brief update on the status of the agency's capital improvements as well as its operating challenges. Operating challenges "Crewing is still a big struggle for us," Tornga said. The system operated six ferries all summer, though it had hoped it would be able to recruit enough crew to run the Kennicott as a seventh vessel. But "we have crews for about five and a half (ferries). There is a large shortage across the national...
The board in charge of Alaska’s retirement system for public employees has recommended the closure of its commonly used managed accounts program after an independent review found workers were being charged high fees and receiving lower-than-expected returns. Managed accounts cover more than 10,000 of the 122,000-plus accounts in Alaska’s state employee retirement system and were the default option when the state switched from a pension-style retirement system to its current 401(k)-like approach in 2006. Many of those employees are only now dis... Full story
Representative Rebecca Himschoot will visit Petersburg November 8 – 11. She will host a Constituent Connection at Glacier Express from 9 – 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 9 and at the Salty Pantry from 7 – 9 a.m. on Friday, November 10. Please stop by and say hello. For more information, call (907) 465-3732....
Jaime Cabral, Dean of Students and Activity Director of Petersburg Middle/High School, recently received statewide recognition for his commitment to kids. Nominated by Katie Holmlund and Becca Madsen of Kinder Skog, Cabral rose to the top of 22 other nominations from across the state to become Petersburg's first ever recipient of this award. Earlier in the year, Holmlund and Madsen had been named Afterschool Superheroes by the Alaska Children's Trust. When the call for nominations came out for...
The air in town is crisp, leaves continue to fall and the mornings are turning frosty. Even with the bright sunshine seen in Petersburg this week, the season is certainly shifting. The transition of summer to winter brings more than a change in weather; seasonal industries shift, and the change prompts reflection. How did this summer go? Several of Petersburg's new tourism businesses look back on their 2023 season. VIKING TRAVEL James and Madeleine Valentine are the owners of Viking Travel, a...
Hunters harvested a total of 141 moose in the 2023 RM038 moose hunt, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This overall number is much higher than the 118 total in 2022 and exceeds the high 2021 harvest, as well. "This was a high for the RM038, 141 is a high. The previous high was 132 and it was in 2021," said ADF&G Wildlife Biologist Frank Robbins. The RM038 moose hunt began mid-September and ended October 15. Twelve of those 141 total moose were harvested illegally. Kupreanof...
PORTLAND, Ore. - An off-duty airline pilot riding in an extra cockpit seat on a Horizon Air flight said "I'm not OK" just before trying to cut the engines midflight and later told police he had recently taken psychedelic mushrooms as his mental health worsened, according to charging documents made public Tuesday. State prosecutors in Oregon filed 83 counts of attempted murder against Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph David Emerson, 44, on Tuesday just before he appeared in court, with his attorney, N...
Petersburg will be one of four Alaska cities to host a performance by Lyric and Spirit, a performance ensemble comprised of three extraordinary vocalists from around the world who have joined together for an inaugural North American tour. They will take the stage in Wright Auditorium on Wednesday evening, Nov. 1. Lenna Bahule is a multidisciplinary artist raised and educated in Mapouto, Mozambique, now based in São Paulo, Brazil. As an educator and performer, she explores indigenous vocal...
The 47th annual Oktoberfest Art Share event will return to Petersburg once again this Saturday, Oct. 28. When the doors of the Petersburg Community Gym open at 10 a.m., attendees can explore the variety of homemade food, handmade crafts, and much more until the event concludes at 3 p.m. The Muskeg Maleriers have facilitated the event for about 41 years, taking over for the Petersburg Arts Council, the original founders. As for what Saturday's event will offer, Muskeg Maleriers member Sally...
Petersburg's Clausen Memorial Museum has a new museum director. Maureen Floyd was hired this week for the role long-held by Cindi Lagoudakis. "I've got big shoes to fill, [Lagoudakis] was a great director before me ... I'm hoping that I can learn through her and different people ... I am open and eager," Floyd told the Pilot. Floyd moved to Petersburg about four years ago. This August, she walked in the doors of the museum hoping to learn more about Norwegian pioneer Peter Buschmann, who had...
An unusual white raven has been seen repeatedly around Anchorage in recent days, captivating birders, photographers and amateur wildlife enthusiasts. "It looks like a leucistic bird, so a bird that's lacking melanin in its feathers," said Lisa Pajot, a volunteer with a local avian rehabilitation organization, Bird TLC, who spent 20 years working as a bird biologist. The condition is slightly different from albinism, marked by full white cover and red eyes. The raven spotted in Midtown Anchorage...
On the north end of Blind River Rapids, a large boulder stands amidst the rushing water - long used by the public for a popular spot to sport fish for hatchery salmon. The fishing rock is located on the banks of a parcel of land owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office, which the state created to fund mental health care in Alaska through selling the trust's property. On Sept. 13, the 4.46 acre parcel was put up for sale at a minimum bid of over $102 thousand. During the Borough...
The garden in front of the Petersburg Public Library has the first stage of a new art installation in the works - blending into the background, awaiting the focal pieces. Josef Quitslund welded an intricate fence last month, just "putting up the framework" for what will soon become a school of salmon swimming up Haugen drive. Around a hundred salmon-shaped pieces of colorfully painted plywood will hang from the rebar structure - moving with the wind and swimming through the garden midair....
The ordinance to rezone Skylark Park property Lot GL 14 from Public Use to Single-Family Mobile Home (SFMH) was unanimously approved by the Borough Assembly once again in its second reading of three on Oct. 16. However, before the roll call, the assembly agreed to amend the ordinance. Assembly Member Thomas Fine-Walsh proposed the amendment that added a condition to the rezoning and dictates a definition for manufactured homes. This does not codify an official definition or alter any rezoning...
Bystanders in downtown Petersburg watched through the windows of Petersburg IGA as wildlife troopers and police captured a young bear inside the grocery store on Tuesday afternoon. Alaska State Wildlife Trooper Sgt. Cody Litster told the Pilot that he received an urgent call from staff at the downtown grocery store and left promptly, notifying the Alaska Department of Fish and Game along the way, with the Petersburg Police Department following close behind. Trooper Josh Spann and Sgt. Litster...
The Mitkof Mummers are setting the stage for their upcoming play, "McQuadle: A Dragon's Tale." With performance dates of November 9, 10, and 11 just weeks away, director Tiffany Glass aims to be off-book soon, meaning everyone should have their lines memorized. Three performances, instead of the usual two, is part of a new Mummer's fundraising goal: to replace the worn-out seats in the auditorium. The Mummers' costume sale in the Elk's Ballroom earlier this month was also for that long term goal...
